It won't take long for the UAA women's basketball team to find out what's it's made of this fall.
The Seawolves, coming off back-to-back 30-win seasons, will face perennial Division I power Duke on Nov. 5 in an exhibition game in Durham, North Carolina, in their second game of the season.
UAA's 2017-18 slate, released this week by head coach Ryan McCarthy, also includes two Division I matchups Nov. 21-23 in the 40th edition of the GCI Great Alaska Shootout. The Seawolves will play 14 home games at the Alaska Airlines Center this season and, potentially, three more when they host the GNAC tournament in March for the first time in program history.
McCarthy said he was able to set up the game against Duke through his friendship with Blue Devils associate head coach Hernando Planells.
The Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference went 28-6 last season and have missed one NCAA tournament appearance since 1994.
"We're friendly with the staff there," said McCarthy, whose teams have swept three straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season and conference championships. "They're people that we really respect.
"It's also really hard for us to find a Division I exhibition game … so Duke will be a great experience and be great for our ladies to compete at the highest level."
[UAA men's hoops rolls out schedule, will host GNAC Championships]
McCarthy said he tries to schedule trips to tough Division I opponents like Duke early in the season to help build team chemistry and help expose possible weaknesses early on.
UAA has either lost by single digits or won their games against early season Division I foes the last three years. Last year, the Seawolves fell to Washington State 81-73, in 2015 they lost to UNLV 84-75 and in '14 they defeated Utah 67-61.
"We can use those games as learning opportunities so when games start to count for us, we're that much sharper," McCarthy said.
UAA's season tips off with a Nov. 2 matchup against NAIA Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first Division II game will be Nov. 10 against Hawaii Pacific — the team UAA defeated last season in the first round of the West Region tournament.
"I think we'll be good, but we're going to have some learning to do in the beginning of our season," McCarthy said. "(Hawaii Pacific) will be a really big test to face a team, in my opinion, that will be picked to make the national tournament."
In the second half of the season, the Seawolves will play five home games in January and four straight from January 25 to February 1.
In that stretch, UAA will face conference rivals Western Washington (Jan. 25), Simon Fraser (Jan. 27) and in-state rival UAF (Jan. 30).
The postseason will begin with the GNAC tournament March 1-3 at the Alaska Airlines Center.
UAA has never hosted the GNAC tournament, but it has hosted the West Region tournament two of the past three seasons.
McCarthy said teams enjoy playing at the Alaska Airlines Center in a tournament setting because of UAA's larger crowds. The Seawolves' average attendance of nearly 1,100 last season was more than double that of any other team in the league.
"When you go to a place that will have 1,000 fans, it just makes that postseason time more special," McCarthy said. "To see the support I think is something they all want to be a part of."
UAA's complete schedule can be found online at goseawolves.com. Season tickets go on sale Monday and can be reserved via phone at 907-786-7811 or email cmgerace@uaa.alaska.edu.